Great Heroes' Day celebrations begin in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 November 2003, 00:01 GMT]The Great Heroes Day celebrations began in Trincomalee town Tuesday morning
with paying homage to LTTE martyrs of Trincomalee whose photographs have
been kept in the gaily decorated Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall, which is
located along the Inner Harbour Road facing the harbour. TEEDOR Trincomalee
district head Mr.S.Tharman declared open the event by cutting the ribbon.

Photographs of 1525 Trincomalee LTTE martyrs including 16 Black Tigers who
sacrificed their lives in the Tamil freedom struggle have been exhibited in
the Hindu Cultural Hall, Trincomalee district head of the LTTE Martyrs Unit, Mr.K.Thennavan, said.

At the commencement of the event the head of the Great Heroes' Day organizing committee in Trincomalee Mr. K.Vinayagasothy lit the flame of sacrifice. Thereafter the LTTE Trincomalee district military commander, Mr.Uthayan, hoisted the Thamileelam national flag. LTTE Kumburupiddy and
Kanniya heads Mr.Sivakumar and Mr. Atputhan respectively were also present
at the event. Later first homage was paid Lt Seelan who was the first LTTE
martyr from Trincomalee, sources said.

Lt. Seelan, first martyr from Trincomalee ( L ) and Lt. Shankar, first martyr in the northeast ( R) Maveerar Ninaivalayam declared open Tuesday at the Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall

Hundreds of students, parents and members of public witnessed the opening event.

The head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in Trincomalee, Mr.Abdel Burkan, and another monitor were at the scene with the LTTE activists watching the event.

The Hindu Cultural hall and its premises have been gaily decorated with yellow and red flags to hold the final day event of the Great Heroes' Day event on Thursday, sources said. A life size cut-out of the LTTE national leader, Mr.V.Pirapaharan, has been displayed in front of the cultural hall, sources said.

At the Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall, students waiting to pay homage

Later Mr.Tharman unveiled a cutout depicting the
map of Thamileelam Road in the heart of Trincomalee town. The LTTE's district military head, Mr.Uthayan, paid homage to dead Black Tigers of Veera Nagar area, sources said.

Meanwhile, the LTTE's Kumburupiddy head, Mr.Sivakumar, distributed five coconut seedlings free to each resettled familiy in the Kumburupiddy village.

Main entrance to the Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall

LTTE Trincomalee district military commander Uthayan is seen hoisting the Thamileelam national flag